A total lunar eclipse will occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit on Monday, May 6, 2069, with an umbral magnitude of 1.3242. It will be a central lunar eclipse, in which part of the Moon will pass through the center of the Earth's shadow. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow, causing the Moon to be darkened. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon's near side entirely passes into the Earth's umbral shadow. Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be viewed from a relatively small area of the world, a lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of Earth. A total lunar eclipse can last up to nearly two hours, while a total solar eclipse lasts only a few minutes at any given place, because the Moon's shadow is smaller. Occurring about 2.3 days after apogee (on May 4, 2069, at 1:40 UTC), the Moon's apparent diameter will be smaller. This lunar eclipse will be the third of an almost tetrad, with the others being on May 17, 2068 (partial); November 9, 2068 (total); and October 30, 2069 (total). This will be the first central eclipse of Lunar Saros 132. The Moon will also occult the bright star Alpha Librae as seen from the southern hemisphere a few hours before greatest eclipse.
Visibility The eclipse will be completely visible over western North America, Antarctica, and the eastern Pacific Ocean, seen rising over east Asia and Australia and setting over central and eastern North America and South America.
Eclipse details Shown below is a table displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. It describes various parameters pertaining to this eclipse.
Eclipse season
This eclipse is part of an eclipse season, a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season. In the sequence below, each eclipse is separated by a fortnight. The first and last eclipse in this sequence is separated by one synodic month.
Related eclipses
Eclipses in 2069 A partial solar eclipse on April 21. A total lunar eclipse on May 6. A partial solar eclipse on May 20. A partial solar eclipse on October 15. A total lunar eclipse on October 30.
Metonic Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 17, 2065 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of February 22, 2073
Tzolkinex Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of March 25, 2062 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of June 17, 2076
Half-Saros Preceded by: Solar eclipse of April 30, 2060 Followed by: Solar eclipse of May 11, 2078
Tritos Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of June 6, 2058 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 4, 2080
Lunar Saros 132 Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of April 26, 2051 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of May 17, 2087
Inex Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of May 26, 2040 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of April 15, 2098
Triad Preceded by: Lunar eclipse of July 6, 1982 Followed by: Lunar eclipse of March 7, 2156
Lunar eclipses of 2067–2070 This eclipse is a member of a semester series. An eclipse in a semester series of lunar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit. The penumbral lunar eclipse on June 27, 2067 occurs in the previous lunar year eclipse set.
Metonic series The Metonic cycle repeats nearly exactly every 19 years and represents a Saros cycle plus one lunar year. Because it occurs on the same calendar date, the Earth's shadow will in nearly the same location relative to the background stars. This series has 9 events centered on May 6th and October 30th: (saros number)
Saros 132 This eclipse is a part of Saros series 132, repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 71 events. The series started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on May 12, 1492. It contains partial eclipses from August 16, 1636 through March 24, 1997; total eclipses from April 4, 2015 through August 2, 2213; and a second set of partial eclipses from August 13, 2231 through November 30, 2411. The series ends at member 71 as a penumbral eclipse on June 26, 2754. The longest duration of totality will be produced by member 36 at 106 minutes, 6 seconds on June 9, 2123. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit.
Eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is one exeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately the same parts of the Earth.
Tritos series This eclipse is a part of a tritos cycle, repeating at alternating nodes every 135 synodic months (≈ 3986.63 days, or 11 years minus 1 month). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee), but groupings of 3 tritos cycles (≈ 33 years minus 3 months) come close (≈ 434.044 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.
Inex series This eclipse is a part of the long period inex cycle, repeating at alternating nodes, every 358 synodic months (≈ 10,571.95 days, or 29 years minus 20 days). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee). However, groupings of 3 inex cycles (≈ 87 years minus 2 months) comes close (≈ 1,151.02 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings.
Half-Saros cycle A lunar eclipse will be preceded and followed by solar eclipses by 9 years and 5.5 days (a half saros). This lunar eclipse is related to two total solar eclipses of Solar Saros 139.
See also List of lunar eclipses and List of 21st-century lunar eclipses
Notes
External links NASA: Lunar Eclipses: Past and Future 2069 May 06 chart Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC Index to Five Millennium Catalog of Lunar Eclipses, -1999 to +3000 (2000 BCE to 3000 CE) Eclipses: 2001 to 2100
References Bao-Lin Liu, Canon of Lunar Eclipses 1500 B.C.-A.D. 3000, 1992